The federal government’s Recovery Board has a lesson for every federal agency that distributes taxpayer money – stay transparent and make sure that recipients do, too.
The Recovery Board, which oversees the $840 billion economic stimulus program and $276 billion in federal contracts, has figured out how to get compliance from companies and state and local government agencies that fail to file their required reporting showing where taxpayer money is going every three months. Keep reading →
Federal managers aren’t the only ones spooked by the prospect of sequestration-induced budget cuts. Contractors are worried about it too. But the potential numbers – dollars that would be cut – present a smaller problem than the lack of planning the government seems to be doing to prepare for the sequester. Unless Congress acts otherwise, a 10-year, trillion dollar cut in spending starts January 1. That’s a $100 billion a year, $50 billion for civilian agencies, $50 billion for Defense. Sequestration is more a reduction in future growth than absolute declines in spending.
In the grand scheme of things, the numbers aren’t that big. But it would be nice to know precisely where agencies are going to make their trims. It’s likely few agencies know. This is why a bill passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanding that the executive branch detail its sequestration plans.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — It’s mindless, confusing and costly. It will likely result in private-sector and government job loss. It will hurt the economy.
And Congress can’t agree on how to replace it.
That’s where things stand with the “sequester” — a series of automatic federal spending cuts equally divided between defense and non-defense programs. Keep reading →
Government contractors with higher contract win rates are expecting to see continued growth in the future, especially for those who assess opportunities in cyber and cloud early. In addition, trade shows, conferences and thought leadership marketing play major roles in winning contractors’ positioning and success strategies.
Market Connections, Inc. released these findings from the 2012 Government Contractor Study on Thursday at the Government Marketing Forum 2013 Contractor Outlook Event at the Tysons Corner Marriott in Vienna, Va. Keep reading →
Richard Spires, CIO of the Department of Homeland Security, received the top honor given to a leader in the public sector among awards given by the TechAmerica Foundation this week.
The foundation announced the winners of the 2012 American Technology Awards, celebrating their involvement and contributions to the technology sector. The awards were given at a gala event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Keep reading →
While government insiders applauded the General Services Administration’s move to cut back contracting schedules to save $24 million, some caution against what could become a “slippery slope.”
GSA said it will stop adding new contractors to schedules – the shopping catalog for the government to get bargains and discounts – as the first step toward streamlining its contract offerings. After a year, officials will review the schedules to see if there is still demand for them. GSA plans to eliminate contract agreements that are rarely or never used. Keep reading →
The federal office charged with promoting the sharing of security credentials for government cloud computing systems, known as FedRAMP, has released the first list of accredited Third Party Assessment Organizations (3PAO) approved for testing security controls.
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Keep reading →
Navigating the complex federal contracting road that small businesses travel when pursuing business with the federal government can be daunting. The key to successfully partnering with the federal government is through the mutual sharing of information between government and industry and by understanding how the government procures its goods and services.
The challenge for small business is the education required to follow the right road that will lead a small business to accelerate and achieve success. Keep reading →
Given the hype around cloud computing, you could be forgiven for thinking that everyone in the government contracting market agrees on what, exactly, it is. They don’t. Keep reading →
The economic problems of the past few years have taken their toll on local governments, including police departments that have been forced to layoff or furlough law enforcement officers and cut back on services that could put public safety at risk.
At the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Katherine McQuay (pictured above) and Zoe Mentel (pictured below) teamed up to help address this issue by building innovative partnerships between the private sector and local law enforcement officials. Keep reading →